January 7, 2026 15:37

Braskem has joined the growing list of ethylene suppliers seeking damages from Clariant, Orbia, Celanese and Westlake, which were accused by the European Commission—and subsequently fined €260 million—of cooperating between 2011 and 2017 to influence the monthly contract price (MCP) of ethylene to their advantage, with the aim of securing lower prices from suppliers.

As in previous cases, Swiss-based Clariant announced that it has rejected the €402 million damages claim filed with the Munich Regional Court, reiterating that it has “substantiated economic evidence that the conduct of the parties did not produce any effect on the market.”

In addition to Braskem, damages claims have also been filed by LyondellBasell, Shell, BASF, TotalEnergies, Dow, MOL, BP Europe and ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical.

The European Commission’s investigation began in May 2017 with unannounced inspections. According to the authorities, the four companies colluded from late 2011 until March 2017 to manipulate the monthly contract price of ethylene to their advantage. In total, Brussels imposed fines of €260 million, from which only Westlake escaped thanks to its decision to report the cartel to the Commission.

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